Boxing at the YMCA

It's Wednesday evening and we just came back from training. I've been doing boxing for a few weeks now and I am having a good time. It's a fun group to train with. The age span in the class is pretty big. Two of the instructors are 63 years young and then there is one guy training who is 66, when he's not boxing he runs marathons and wrestles with bears in Alaska (only the wrestling part is a lie, as far as I know at least. You never know with this guy). There is also a girl who wants to box in the amateur league, she is 14 and has just taken up boxing. So needless to say it is a rather eclectic group of people that gets together for some recreational punching at the YMCA. But I guess that stands to reason since everyone probably has a need to hit something at least once in a while.

The picture is taken on our street.

Linda's Birthday

Big congratulations to Linda on her Birthday, today the 22 of February! In the picture she is sitting between Anki and David.

Semla

Today it is Fettisdagen in Sweden. Fettisdagen is the Swedish name for Shrove Tuesday. It literally means "The Fat Tuesday" and is the day when semlor (singular Semla) traditionally is supposed to be eaten. I am at the moment thinking of ways to have one here in Pasadena. Maybe they can be bought at IKEA or maybe there is a bakery that makes them. I'm sure they could be found in Solvang, but that seems to be a bit too far, even for a Semla. If anyone has any ideas don't hesitate to let me know.

I am now a math teacher

During my stay here in Pasadena I have quite frequently visited the Pasadena Central Library. It is a nice place to sit and read, and together with the libraries in the surrounding area it has a pretty good collection of books. On top of this there is also music and movies, which you can check out without a fee.

Some time ago I was sitting at my table in the library, reading. As I get up to leave, this complete stranger in his mid-thirties comes up to me and asks if I could have a look at the papers he's holding. I'm thinking that it might be a survey of some sort and figures, "Sure!". But pretty soon I realize that it's not a survey but a collection of math exercises that he's doing as a preparation for a test. As we go through some of these questions together, me and this guy I've never seen before, I cling firmly to what I still remember: you calculate what's within the parenthesis first! And I realized that the math is in there somewhere just needing a bit of dusting off. Hopefully I didn't hinder this man's progress too much. Before he leaves he introduces himself, thanks me and asks if I'm a student. No, I said. And wonder now if that is why I kind of enjoyed this math lesson.

I also wonder if it says "This guy will help you with your homework" in my forehead. Not that I mind, on the contrary.

Autumn's 30th Birthday!

On February the 14th 2007 Autumn is turning 30! On this great day we will be home before 9am and probably sometime between noon and 2pm and then again late in the evening.

Lots of kisses to the birthday princess!

Weekend

We came back late on Sunday from our weekend trip up north. Having spent one night in Santa Barbara with Tara and Jeff and one in Lompoc with Linda and Domenic. On Saturday we met up with Autumn's family to celebrate a few birthdays (Autumn, Carroll, Jim and Celeste). Winter, Autumn's oldest nephew(fantastic names!), and I played some Pacman. Linda's cooking, as always, was very tasty. Lasagna.

On Sunday there was wedding planning. We went to the Coski's where we are having the wedding and then around to quite a few hotels for inspection.

Now we are back in Pasadena and I am staying in, trying to get rid of a cold. The picture above shows some of the Coski's grounds.

Weekend in Lompoc

Just a few words to let you know that we are going up to Lompoc for this weekend. We have some wedding planning to take care of and it will be good to go for a trip. Hopefully I'll manage to have a look at the different hotels in the area to see what would be the best one for the wedding guests.

Nice to finally catch up with Alf and Monika and to find out that it is now possible to ski in Linkoping. Good to talk to Stefan as well, hope you'll find your way here!

See picture above for details on life in Lompoc.

Photo Album

On the right there is a photo album with pictures of Autumn and me. Chose "Slideshow" if you want to see all the picture. The slideshow starts off with pictures from Labri in England where we met and then shows mostly Linköping, Åre, Rome and Surf Beach in California.

Ode on a German Automobile

As some of you know I sold my car last Friday. My German Automobile is leaving the nest. Hopefully the new owners will treat him well!

Selling a car on Blocket (Swedish version of Craigslist) you certainly get some real skambud (shameful offers). But in the end it worked out well. Thanks dad for all the help!

I'll sum up with the words of Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta and Gretl:

"So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adjö!"

Kaffe Coffee Fika

I found a nice little coffee shop close to where we live. This is one of the non-chain cafés here in Pasadena and the picture shows the entry and some of the small tables on the sidewalk. The name is Zona Rosa and I go here quite often for a coffee. When being asked about what size I want I have learned to always go for the small one. A small size Californian coffee cup is more of a normal sized cup in Sweden. People do drink there coffee in larger volumes here, and it isn't that surprising when you consider that it sometimes is more of a brown watery drink than actual coffee. There also seems to be a lot more running around with a paper cup trying to gulp a few sips in here and there. The concept of Fika clearly needs to be exported.

"Fika is a social institution in Sweden: it means taking a break from work or other activities and having a coffee with one's colleagues, friends, or family. This practice of taking a break for a coffee and a light snack (some biscuits, cookies, or a sandwich) between more substantial meals like lunch and dinner is central to Swedish life, Swedes being among the heaviest consumers of coffee in the world." (Wikipedia)